WGU and Utah Jazz Award Tuition for One Year to Four Students

SALT LAKE CITY – Western Governors University (WGU) and the Utah Jazz teamed up to provide four Utah students with a full year of tuition. Awarded during halftime of the Jazz–Sacramento Kings game on April 5, the scholarships will allow the students to attend WGU, an online, nonprofit university, tuition-free for one year.

The four scholarship recipients are Breann Hilton, of Salt Lake City; Edward Curiel, of West Jordan; Chelsea Hiatt, of Eagle Mountain; and Michele Edem, of Sandy. All four students are new enrollees at WGU and submitted an official entry form earlier in the Jazz season.

Hilton is earning her bachelor's degree in nursing, Curiel is seeking his master's in cybersecurity and information assurance, Hiatt is earning her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and Edem is completing an endorsement preparation program in educational leadership.

“I want my children, my students, and even my colleagues to know that education and learning is a lifelong process. Receiving this scholarship allows me to continue my journey toward the goal of becoming an administrator one day,” Edem said.

“The Utah Jazz support the efforts of Western Governors University to provide online education opportunities with this free tuition program,” said Steve Starks, Utah Jazz president. “Our organization believes in the intellectual and economic value of education and giving students a chance to pursue their dreams.”

The majority of WGU students are working adults who benefit from the flexibility and relevance of the online university’s competency-based programs. Competency-based education allows students to complete programs based on learning, not time, doing schoolwork on their schedule and advancing as soon as they are able to demonstrate mastery of the material. This, combined with affordable, flat-rate tuition of about $6,500 a year for most programs, is making it possible for more students to earn the degrees they need to advance their careers. More than 10,000 Utahns have graduated from WGU and 7,500 are currently enrolled, part of a growing nationwide student body of 115,000.

One online university. Four colleges. Flexible degrees.

Our focus on your success starts with our focus on four high-demand fields: K–12 teaching and education, nursing and healthcare, information technology, and business. Every degree program at WGU is tied to a high-growth, highly rewarding career path. Which college fits you?